How to guess

the meaning of new words

from the context

By Zhong Meiyun

Presentation One:

It will be very hard but also very brittle , that is, it will break easily.

The herdsman , who looks after sheep, earns about 650yuan a year.

The new tax law supersedes, or replaces, the law that was in effect last year.

New and knew are homophones, words that sound the same but have a different spelling

Clue One: definition

Key words\ phrases\clauses:

is, or, namely, that is (to say), in other words ， relative clauses , appositive phrases, or dash(---) etc.

Practice One: He is a resolute man, that is to say, once he sets up a goal,

he won’t give it up halfway.A. reasonable B. reserved C. firm D. humble

Yet, shopkeepers may have to spend extra hours to deal with problems, such as shoplifters, who always take away things from the shop without paying for them…A. porters B. cashiers C. thieves D. shop assistants

Before long, many dinners stayed open around the clock. In other words, people were able to eat in a dinner at any time. A. the meals that people have every dayB. the food that people eat in their mealsC. the places where people can have dinnerD. the people who serve in a restaurant

Presentation Two: On the farm they mainly raise poultry, such as chickens, duc

ks and geese, for their eggs and meat.A. wild big animals kept for eating B. endangered animals kept for eating C. domestic birds kept for eating

You can take any of the periodicals like Readers’ Digest, Modern Family, or The World of English.A. newspapers B. magazines C. TV programs D. timetables

People in the North of Thailand do wickerwork,for example, they make elephants, turtles, plates, beds, and chairs, from teak trees for earning money.A) metal handicraft B) plastic handicraftC) wool handicraft D) wood handicraft

Clue Two: examples

key words:and ,or ,such as, like, for example, for instance or colon (:), etc.

Practice Two:

After a day’s hunting, Harold is ravenous. Yesterday, for example, he ate two bowels of soup, salad, a large chicken, and a piece of chocolate cake before he was finally satisfied.A. angry B. hungry C. thirsty D. sweaty

The Savanna grasslands are the home of grazing animals such as elephants, goats, deer and zebras. A) non-backbone animals B) meat-eating animalsC) domestic animals D) grass-eating animals

Presentation Three:

Peter was not frugal since he spent money so freely.

A. luxurious B. generous C. economical D. pessimistic The insects are so microscopic that you can hardly see

them.

A. ugly B. dangerous C. small D. quiet The journey across the mountains was perilous, so

several people were killed.

A. long B. unnecessary C. beautiful D. dangerous

Clue Three: cause and effect

Key words:because ， as ， since ， for, so ， thus ， as a result ， so … that, such … thatso … that, such … that, therefore etc.

Practice Three:

Rubber can be made to stretch more than nine times its normal length because it is very elastic.A. loose B. long C. easy D. flexible

The river is so turbid that it is impossible to see the bottom even when it is shallow.A. deep B. clear C. wide D. muddy

“But,” said Kim, “ I feel that since you are my boss, it would be presumptuous of me to tell you what to do.”A. full of respect B. too rudeC. lacking in experience D. too shy and quiet

Presentation Four:

Bill was good at art, music, and photography, and his brother was even more versatile.

A. ambitious B. promising C. diligent D. talented Unlike his brother, who was friendly with everyone,

Bob was quite surly.

A. shy B. talkative C. bad-tempered D. bad-looking Though the artist has died, her art will be immortal.

A. forgotten B. beautiful C. ever-lasting D. damaged

Clue Four: comparison and contrast

Key words:

but, while, however, instead of , rather than , unlike, yet, otherwise, though, whereas, on the contrary, in contrast, even more etc.

Practice Four:

The writing style I used in my report was too colloquial, so my boss asked me to write it in a more formal manner.

A. casual B. serious C. unusual D. simple He had been getting better but during the night his

condition deteriorated.

A. became better B. got worse

C. stayed the same D. did not change

Presentation Five:

The door was so low that I hit my head on the lintel.

Mark got on the motorbike, I sat behind him on the pillion, and we roared off into the night.

Clue Five: common sense

Self knowledge and life experience

Practice Five: We watched as the cat came quietly through the

grass toward the bird. When it was just a few feet from the victim, it gathered its legs under itself and pounced.

A. lay B. jumped C. stood D sat The swimmer dived into the pool at one end and

swam under water to the other end, where she emerged from the water.

A. came out B. disappeared

C. sank D. injured herself

Conclusion: Guess the meaning of a new word according to the clues of …… definition examples cause and effect comparison and contrast common sense

Consolidation Practice: Andrew is one of the most supercilious men I know.

His brother, in contrast, is quite humble and modest.

A. superior B. proud C. modest D. particular Carbon monoxide (CO) is a noxious gas which can

cause death.

A. nice B. delicious C. beneficial D. poisonous

Doctors recommended that everyone exercise every day, particularly those who spend many hours doing sedentary activities like reading, typing or sewing.

A. secondary B. slow C. sitting D. busy

comparison and contrast

definition

example

When a doctor performs an operation on a patient, he usually gives an anaesthetic to make him unconscious.

A. a kind of book B. a piece of advice

C. a kind of medicine D. a kind of animal The plant is often pruned so that it remains only 60-9

0 centimeters high. Pruning is important because it encourages the growth of tender shoots, or young leaves. It is from these shoots that the best tea is got.

A. Regular cutting of the plants

B . Frequent watering

C. Regular use of chemicals

D. Growing the plants high in the mountain

cause and effect

common sense

Assignment Review the skills of guessing new words from

the context. Do the exercises on your handouts to

consolidate what you have learned.